CHICAGO - Humans aren't the only victims of the subprime mortgage crisis -- some animals in the Chicago area lose their families as their owners lose their homes.

"We're seeing quite a few animals being surrendered due to economic reasons, including foreclosure," Angie Wood, assistant executive director of the Naperville Area Humane Society, told the Chicago Tribune.

"We're seeing people in bad financial situations who are moving to places where they can't have pets," she said. "There definitely has been an increase in the past six months to a year."

Some shelters don't report seeing a jump in animals left at their doors. Others, however, said they have seen a spike.

As foreclosures have increased, the Humane Society of the United States issued a public statement saying it's worried about pets affected by the situation, the Tribune reported.

"This isn't the first time we've seen people abandoning their pets. It's a problem throughout the year, when people move and can't take their pets," said Stephanie Shain, director of outreach for the national group in Washington. "But with this increase in foreclosures, we're going to see more of it."